Airport Optimisation Masterclass
Estimated Lesson Time: 60–75 Minutes
Lesson Overview
Welcome to the Airport Optimisation Masterclass.
Throughout the Performance Academy, you’ve learned how to optimise your PC, graphics settings, Windows installation, graphics drivers and add-ons.
Now it’s time to tackle one of the most demanding areas of Microsoft Flight Simulator:
Large international airports.
For many users, this is where performance problems become most noticeable.
You may experience:
- Lower FPS.
- MainThread limitations.
- Long loading times.
- Stuttering during taxi.
- Heavy GPU utilisation.
- VRAM limitations.
- Frame pacing issues.
The goal of this lesson isn’t simply to increase FPS.
Instead, you’ll learn how to create an airport that remains visually impressive while maintaining smooth, consistent performance.
Professional optimisation is about understanding why an airport is demanding and adjusting the right settings to reduce unnecessary workload without sacrificing the overall flying experience.
By the end of this lesson, you’ll know how to optimise almost any airport in Microsoft Flight Simulator.
Lesson Objectives
By the end of this lesson you will understand:
Why airports are often the most demanding part of Microsoft Flight Simulator.
The difference between heavy and light airports.
How different scenery developers affect performance.
Static aircraft optimisation.
Airport worker optimisation.
Ground vehicle optimisation.
Texture optimisation.
Airport object density.
Airport LOD.
Jetway performance.
Dynamic lighting.
Interior modelling.
Photogrammetry around airports.
How to create airport-specific graphics profiles.
Why Airports Are So Demanding
An airport is one of the busiest environments in the simulator.
At a major international hub, the simulator may need to render and manage:
- Thousands of scenery objects.
- Complex taxiway layouts.
- Multiple terminal buildings.
- Dynamic lighting.
- Ground service equipment.
- AI aircraft.
- Static aircraft.
- Airport workers.
- Glass reflections.
- Jetways.
- Interior modelling.
- Photogrammetry.
- Nearby city scenery.
Every one of these elements requires processing from either the CPU, GPU or both.
This is why airports often become the biggest performance bottleneck.
Heavy vs Light Airports
Not every airport places the same demands on your system.
Heavy Airports
Examples:
- Heathrow (EGLL)
- JFK (KJFK)
- Frankfurt (EDDF)
- Amsterdam (EHAM)
- Los Angeles (KLAX)
These airports typically feature:
- Large terminals.
- Dense scenery.
- Hundreds of objects.
- Busy traffic.
- Advanced lighting.
- Photogrammetry nearby.
Performance is often limited by the CPU, GPU or both.
Light Airports
Examples:
- Small GA airfields.
- Regional airports.
- Rural strips.
These airports generally contain:
- Fewer objects.
- Simpler buildings.
- Less AI traffic.
- Minimal ground services.
As a result, they usually provide significantly higher FPS and lower system load.
iniBuilds Airports
iniBuilds airports are known for their high level of detail.
Typical features include:
- Detailed terminals.
- Interior modelling.
- High-resolution textures.
- Extensive object placement.
- Advanced lighting.
CPU Impact
Moderate to High.
GPU Impact
High.
Optimisation Tips
Reduce unnecessary airport clutter where options are available.
Balance Terrain LOD and Object LOD with airport complexity.
Monitor VRAM usage at busy stands.
Orbx Airports
Orbx scenery is generally designed to provide a balance between visual quality and performance.
Many airports include:
- High-quality textures.
- Detailed surroundings.
- Efficient modelling.
Performance varies depending on the airport and surrounding scenery.
FlyTampa Airports
FlyTampa airports are renowned for detailed environments and extensive object placement.
Expect:
- Higher GPU workload.
- Increased VRAM usage.
- Additional CPU demand in busy areas.
Benchmark each airport individually rather than assuming all perform the same.
Aerosoft Airports
Aerosoft airports often provide a good compromise between detail and efficiency.
As with any scenery package, performance depends on:
- Airport size.
- Object density.
- Nearby photogrammetry.
- AI traffic.
Static Aircraft
Many airports include parked aircraft purely for visual realism.
These aircraft increase:
- Draw calls.
- VRAM usage.
- GPU workload.
If configurable, reducing or disabling static aircraft can improve performance, particularly at busy hubs.
Airport Workers
Animated workers contribute to realism but also increase CPU workload.
Each worker requires:
- Animation updates.
- Position calculations.
- Behaviour logic.
At large airports, reducing worker density may improve frame pacing without dramatically changing the appearance of the airport.
Ground Vehicles
Ground vehicles include:
- Fuel trucks.
- Catering vehicles.
- Baggage carts.
- Passenger buses.
- Pushback tugs.
While individually lightweight, large numbers of vehicles increase:
- CPU calculations.
- Object count.
- GPU rendering.
Choose a level that provides immersion without unnecessary overhead.
Texture Optimisation
Large airports often use very high-resolution textures.
Higher texture quality:
- Improves visual sharpness.
- Increases VRAM usage.
If your graphics card has limited VRAM, lowering texture resolution slightly may improve consistency without greatly affecting image quality.
Object Density
Object density determines how many airport objects are rendered.
Examples include:
- Baggage carts.
- Lighting poles.
- Signs.
- Cones.
- Equipment.
- Decorative objects.
Reducing object density lowers both CPU and GPU workload.
The visual impact is often smaller than expected.
Airport Level of Detail (LOD)
LOD controls how far away airport objects remain visible.
Higher values:
- Draw more objects over greater distances.
- Increase CPU and GPU workload.
Lower values:
- Reduce draw distance.
- Improve performance.
Aim for a balance that suits your hardware rather than always selecting the highest setting.
Jetways
Animated jetways are relatively small in isolation, but at major airports dozens may be visible at once.
They contribute to:
- Animation workload.
- Additional objects.
- CPU calculations.
Although not usually the largest performance factor, they contribute to the overall airport workload.
Dynamic Lighting
Large airports contain:
- Floodlights.
- Taxiway lights.
- Apron lighting.
- Building illumination.
Night operations require the GPU to process many additional light sources.
If your benchmark focuses on night performance, lighting quality becomes especially important.
Interior Modelling
Some premium airports model terminal interiors in great detail.
These interiors include:
- Seating.
- Shops.
- Walkways.
- Glass structures.
- Decorative objects.
Although visually impressive, they increase the number of objects the simulator must manage.
Where configurable, reducing interior detail can improve performance, especially if you rarely view terminals from close range.
Photogrammetry Around Airports
Many major airports are located beside large photogrammetry cities.
Examples include:
- Heathrow and London.
- JFK and New York.
- Los Angeles.
- Paris.
Photogrammetry increases:
- GPU workload.
- VRAM usage.
- CPU streaming workload.
When flying around these airports, remember that you’re optimising both the airport and the surrounding city.
Choosing Graphics Settings for Busy Hubs
Busy international airports often require different settings than smaller airports.
Consider reviewing:
- Terrain LOD.
- Object LOD.
- Cloud Quality.
- Shadow Quality.
- Reflection Quality.
- AI Traffic.
- Ground Aircraft.
- Airport Workers.
Avoid lowering everything at once.
Make one change at a time and measure the result using your benchmark flight.
Creating Airport-Specific Profiles
One graphics profile does not have to suit every airport.
For example:
Regional Profile
- Higher LOD.
- Maximum textures.
- More AI traffic.
Major Hub Profile
- Slightly reduced Object LOD.
- Balanced AI traffic.
- Fewer static aircraft.
- Optimised ground vehicles.
Switching profiles allows you to enjoy the best balance of quality and performance depending on where you fly.
Common Mistakes
Using identical graphics settings for every airport.
Maximising AI traffic regardless of hardware.
Ignoring VRAM usage.
Running duplicate airport scenery.
Assuming lower FPS means poor optimisation.
Making multiple changes before benchmarking.
Forgetting to monitor MainThread status.
Professional Airport Optimisation Workflow
Step 1
Load your benchmark airport.
Step 2
Record:
- FPS.
- MainThread.
- GPU utilisation.
- VRAM.
- Temperatures.
Step 3
Identify the bottleneck.
CPU?
GPU?
VRAM?
Step 4
Adjust one setting.
Step 5
Repeat the benchmark.
Step 6
Compare the results.
Step 7
Keep the change only if it provides a measurable improvement.
Repeat until you achieve the best balance between image quality and smoothness.
Student Exercise
Today you’re going to optimise one demanding airport.
Step 1
Choose a large international airport.
Examples:
- Heathrow.
- JFK.
- Frankfurt.
- Amsterdam.
- Another demanding airport you fly regularly.
Step 2
Run your permanent benchmark flight.
Record:
- Average FPS.
- 1% Lows.
- MainThread Status.
- GPU Utilisation.
- VRAM Usage.
- CPU Temperature.
- GPU Temperature.
- Overall smoothness.
Step 3
Optimise one setting at a time.
Possible adjustments include:
- Static aircraft.
- Airport workers.
- AI traffic.
- Object LOD.
- Terrain LOD.
- Texture Resolution.
- Reflection Quality.
Benchmark after every change.
Step 4
Compare your optimised results with your original benchmark.
Identify:
- Which changes improved performance the most.
- Which changes had little or no measurable effect.
- Which settings provided the best balance between realism and smoothness.
Document your final airport profile in your Performance Profile.
Student Checklist
Heavy airport selected.
Baseline benchmark completed.
Bottleneck identified.
Individual settings tested.
Airport profile created.
Results compared.
Performance Profile updated.
Lesson Summary
Congratulations.
You have completed the Airport Optimisation Masterclass.
You now understand why airports are among the most demanding environments in Microsoft Flight Simulator and how to optimise them systematically.
Remember:
- Large airports combine dense scenery, AI traffic, lighting, animations and nearby city environments, creating significant demands on both the CPU and GPU.
- Different scenery developers have different optimisation approaches, so each airport should be evaluated individually rather than assuming identical performance.
- Features such as static aircraft, airport workers, object density and interior modelling can often be adjusted to improve smoothness while preserving overall visual quality.
- Benchmarking one change at a time is essential to understanding which adjustments genuinely improve performance.
- Creating airport-specific graphics profiles allows you to tailor your simulator to different flying environments instead of relying on a single configuration for every situation.
Knowledge Check
- Why are major international airports typically more demanding than regional airports?
- How can static aircraft and airport workers influence performance?
- Why should you monitor VRAM usage when using detailed airport scenery?
- How does photogrammetry around large cities affect airport performance?
- Why is it beneficial to create different graphics profiles for heavy hubs and smaller airports?
- What is the correct workflow when optimising a demanding airport?
- Which optimisation had the greatest positive effect during your benchmark, and why?
- How will the techniques learned in this lesson help you optimise future airports more efficiently?